This invention relates to a disc brake and, particularly to a disc brake of the kind including a holder secured to a non-rotatable part of a vehicle and provided on one side of a rotatable disc, two guide pins secured to the holder, a caliper slidably supported on the guide pins and straddling the circumference of the disc, a pair of friction pads provided on opposite sides of the disc, and a brake actuating mechanism incorporated in the caliper for pressing one of friction pads against one side surface of the disc and displacing the caliper thereby pressing the other friction pad against the other side surface of the disc.
Conventionally, the two guide pins secured to the holder are spaced in the direction of the circumference of the disc such that respective guide pins straddle the circumference of the disc and the guide pins are utilized to slidably support the other friction pad thereby receiving the braking torque therefrom. And, with the viewpoint of the strength, the holder has a generally U-shaped configuration as viewed in the direction of the axis of the disc with the size and the weight of the holder being increased.
Further, in replacing the friction pads, one of the pins is removed from the holder and the caliper is rotated around the other pin. Thus, the pad replacing operation is troublesome and time consuming and, further, it requires a relatively large space on the outer circumference of the disc.